musician spotlight: Kristy Morrell

Horn player Kristy Morrell has been gracing the LACO stage since 1997 – 17 years! What a perfect candidate for our new Musician Spotlight feature! Come see Kristy in action this weekend, when she’ll be performing during “Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3,” LACO’s concert on November 15 & 16 (buy your tickets now!). Kristy kindly answered some fun questions for us, so check out which beverage inspired her favorite Halloween costume, as well as which classical music piece caught her ear at the tender age of four.

Do you have any pre-concert rituals?I usually take a 20 minute “princess nap.”

What’s your earliest musical memory?My grandpa played Dvorak’s New World Symphony for me when I was 4. It fascinated me and I begged him to play the record endlessly. Finally, he let me take the record home and I literally wore it out.

If you could play another instrument other than the one(s) you already play, what would it be and why? I sing a lot in church choir and I always wish I had a better voice.

What’s your favorite music-based movie or TV show and why? I LOVE Mr. Holland’s Opus. As an educator, it validates my passion for sharing music with everyone.

What’s something about you that no one would know just by attending a LACO concert? I raise chickens in my backyard. Penelope, Peony, and Violet are their names.

Halloween was a couple weeks ago… What’s your favorite or most memorable Halloween costume? When my husband Steve and I were students at Eastman, we dressed up as a 6-pack of Genesee Beer. (Our favorite libation due to its economy, not flavor!)

In addition to her work with LACO, Kristy Morrell is a faculty member at USC’s Thornton School of Music and The Colburn School of Performing Arts. She performs frequently with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Master Chorale, LA Opera, and Pasadena and Pacific symphonies. A respected recording artist, she has performed on numerous motion picture and television soundtracks and records. Kristy has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from USC, where she also received her Master of Music, and a Bachelor of Music and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music.